MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group — Brain Mapping Research (Ed Boyden)

Blue light hitting a neural network in which one kind of neuron is light-sensitive, and only that kind of neuron is activated. (Photo courtesy of the MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group)

Organization:

MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group

Award Date:

02/2018

Amount:

$3,000,000

Purpose:

To support development of expansion microscopy, led by Professor Ed Boyden.

The Open Philanthropy Project recommended a gift of $3,000,000 over two years to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Synthetic Neurobiology Group, led by Ed Boyden, to support research on the development and application of expansion microscopy to imaging of brains from a variety of organisms. Open Philanthropy is particularly intrigued by the possibility that this method may be used to visualize how the tightly packed neural cells in vertebrate brains are connected to each other at a dramatically lower cost than would otherwise be possible with existing technology. If successful, Open Philanthropy believes this could have dramatic implications for a variety of sub-fields within brain research.

This gift falls within Open Philanthropy's work on scientific research.